Caitlin Clark wasn’t back in her home arena to play a game.

Still, the “butterflies,” the former Iowa guard said, were quite similar.

Clark returned to Iowa’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Sunday to have her number 22 retired in a ceremony after the Hawkeyes’ 76-67 win over No. 4 USC, one season after she completed her historic college career.

“I feel like I already have those butterflies in your stomach when you walk in here,” Clark said during a pregame press conference. “Not so much for a basketball game now, but obviously just to be around everybody and to enjoy this environment. I don’t have to go and compete for 40 minutes, even though I wish maybe I could. I think it will definitely be a little bit more emotional that I don’t have to compete.”

Clark was at center court with her family as the No. 22 went up into the rafters. She was smiling throughout the ceremony.

The jersey retirement capped a historic career for Clark at Iowa. She became college basketball’s all-time leading scorer while leading the Hawkeyes to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA national championship game the last two seasons.

A sellout crowd of 14,998 included Lisa Bluder, Clark’s former coach at Iowa, and Stephanie White, Clark’s current coach with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever. The Fever will play an exhibition game at Iowa next season.

Former Iowa teammates Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall were in courtside seats alongside former talk-show host David Letterman. USC’s coaches and players stayed on the court after the game to witness the ceremony.

“I’m sure it wasn’t cheap to get in,” Clark quipped during the ceremony.

Iowa 76, Southern California 69 >> Lucy Olsen scored 28 points and Addison O’Grady had 13 as Iowa topped No. 4 USC, snapping the Trojans’ 15-game winning streak.

Iowa (15-7, 5-6 Big Ten) opened the game with an 18-1 run, fought off a 17-1 response by the Trojans in the second quarter, then matched USC the rest of the way.

JuJu Watkins led USC (19-2, 9-1) with 27 points. Kiki Iriafen had 13 points, and Kennedy Smith had 11.

South Carolina retires Wilson’s No. 22 jersey

Three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson’s South Carolina No. 22 jersey was hung in the rafters Sunday at Colonial Life Arena, her college home court that already features a statue of the program’s all-time leading scorer outside the main entrance.

It was a fitting honor for Wilson, the 6-foot-5 prep wonder who became a three-time Southeastern Conference player of the year for Staley’s Gamecocks.

The pinnacle came in 2017 when Wilson helped South Carolina to its first national title. Wilson became South Carolina’s career leader in scoring (2,389 points) and blocks (363).

She also became South Carolina’s first No. 1 WNBA draft pick, chosen by the Las Vegas Aces. She has won three league MVPs, including this past season, and a pair of WNBA championships with Las Vegas.

Wilson also was part of the U.S. Olympic team that won the gold medal in Paris this past summer.

Her journey started just a short drive from South Carolina’s campus.

“It’s a privilege to be a Gamecock, to be a part of this community,” she said.

South Carolina 83, Auburn 66 >> Freshman Joyce Edwards scored 18 points and Chloe Kitts added 13 points and nine rebounds as No. 2 South Carolina won its 70th straight game at home over Auburn.

Auburn (11-11, 2-7 Southeastern Conference) tied the game at 27 midway through the second quarter before Kitts scored the next five points to start a 13-3 run to take control.

South Carolina (21-1, 9-0) went on to win its 56th consecutive SEC regular-season game and 13th in row over the Tigers.

Bueckers scores 18 in just 22 minutes

Paige Bueckers scored 16 of her 18 points in the first half as No. 6 UConn routed Butler 101-59 on Sunday to extend its Big East regular-season winning streak to 32 games.

Azzi Fudd and Ashlynn Shade each had 13 points while KK Arnold had 12 on 6-of-6 shooting and four steals. Sarah Strong finished with 11 points, five rebounds and four blocked shots for UConn (21-2 2-0).